For decades, television users have tuned their televisions to their favorite broadcast programs. Whether the source of such broadcast programs is a traditional local broadcasting station, cable, satellite or other means, the broadcast signals adhere to configurations determined by a standards association. The standards define parameters of the video signals for delivery to televisions. Likewise the televisions also conform to related standards such that images generated from the video signals will appear generally the same on different televisions. These standards mandate that the video signal will be configured to have overscan, which means that a portion of the video signal is not intended to form any portion of the image intended to be displayed for the user. Stated another way, only a subset of a potential image which can be generated from the video signal is actually displayed as an intended image to the user. The remainder of the potential image is cropped and is not displayed. The cropped portion may be utilized, among other uses, to convey information to the television regarding the intended image.
This system of broadcast video signal standards and associated television standards have evolved over many years and ensure that a consumer can purchase a television with confidence that when he or she takes it home it will work as expected to receive the broadcast signals and display the intended image. The consumer does not need to know anything about overscan or cropping or take any affirmative action in this regard.
Meanwhile computers, such as personal computers (PCs), also have become a common consumer item. Computers can also generate video signals for creating user-perceptible images. The video signals are created by an operating system and/or other components of the computer (e.g., video card). The video signals have traditionally been utilized by a display, such as a monitor, to create images for the user. In contrast to broadcast video signals and televisions, the computers and monitors generally are configured to display an image for the user without cropping the image. Stated another way, the intended image generated for the user is generally the same as the potential image which can be generated from the video signal.
These two distinct systems of televisions and computers have served consumers well, but as technology progresses the distinction between these two systems is becoming blurred. Consumers increasingly want to utilize their televisions as computer monitors. In many instances, such a configuration provides an undesirable user experience. The televisions, just as with the broadcast video signals, crop the image generated from the computer's video signal. Such cropping results in portions of the intended image, such as around the periphery, not being displayed for the user. This is especially problematic in that many user interfaces position user input controls, such as toolbars, around the periphery of the image. When these portions of the image are missing, the user may not be able to input commands. For example, the user may not be able to start, stop, or minimize an application. Among other reasons, such scenarios provide diminished consumer satisfaction. Systems which allow an intended image to be generated for a user from either type of video would increase consumer satisfaction.